It's your choice [pt1]

"How long are you going to hide? Do you want me to shave my head before you attack me? Should I go to you instead if you don't want to come out? "

Amane was getting tired of waiting for the assassin to show himself. So far, he had done a sloppy job of hiding his presence inside her room.

There were a few ways for Amane to deal with the assassin without even revealing herself but that would not solve her future problem.

'Capturing the assassin would be the best way to get the name of his master out of his mouth. I wonder how well today's assassins would be able to handle torture.'

The assassin did not get provoked by Amane's words but she did feel him change places.

The new hiding place couldn't be said to be hidden at all. The assassin was as good as standing in front of Amane now. Did he think that the thin curtain could hide his bulky figure?

'Oi, isn't he underestimating me a little too much? He's not even trying to hide now and it's pissing me off. Even the enemy is underestimating me by sending such a bulky assassin.'

Most assassins generally preferred speed and agility over bulk and power. Only expert assassins or powerful assassins had such bulky frames.

'And you can tell which one he is.'

Still, since the assassin had not decided to reveal himself, Amane took it as a refusal on the assassin's part.

And the thing about refusing Amane was - she did not like it one bit.

"Seriously, just come out from behind the curtain. You have already been spotted. Or, do you need me to call the guards and have you killed?"

Amane's irritation peaked when the assassin still refused to come out. What more did he want from her? Amane was already glaring holes in his head with her glare.

In her irritation, Amane picked up a ceramic pot and threw it inches away from the would-be assassin's head.

Finally, the assassin realized that Amane was not joking and she seriously knew where he was. All it took for Amane was to destroy a costly-looking vase.

"Today is your last day Yoko Tsurugi. You have been a thorn in Lord Tsurugi's side too many times and he has finally ordered for you to die. Allow me the pleasure to take your life now. Don't bother calling guards because Lord Tsurugi made arrangements for your death."

'Uncle, seriously? Could you not have found a better person than this buffoon to do this job? Just how much are you underestimating me? And how much is he going to speak? Aren't assassins supposed to be silent?'

Amane's head ached at the level of ignorance her uncle showed her in a single day. She had to rub her head to try and elevate the pain she felt.

The assassin decided to try and off Amane in this short period. At least he was not incompetent enough to allow Amane to gather her wits.

But the assassin was out of luck today. Amane was not in a good mood and she was too tired to play with him.

Whatever good mood she previously had was drained out within one encounter with this fool.

The assassin tried to use his bulk to catch Amane's arm and stab her but Amane gripped the assassin's writs in return and twisted his body.

It was a marvelous site to see a 6'4" body sail past a petite 5'8" woman's shoulder without much effort.

The assassin's back hit the floor but he had enough presence of mind to use his other hand to protect his head from the impact.

"H-How? Lord Tsurugi said you had no s-skill. This was supposed to be an easy job." The assassin looked flabbergasted at the sudden turn of events.

"Killing me would have been an easy job before today but you won't be able to harm me from now on. Oh well, at least you tried. That's more than what I can say for most bastards."

The assassin was gapping at Amane's words. Maybe she had been too bold with her language.

Most high-class ladies were soft-spoken and hid their intentions behind their actions. From observing Sakura, Amane could tell that this had not changed since her last life.

'Well, I'm no high-class lady. Staying meek is not for me.'

As Amane had said before, she was done with being meek. She needed to show power and dominance if she wanted to lead a peaceful and carefree life.

'I need to establish a reputation so that no one messes with me. And I also need to look for a reliable servant who would protect my privacy. Everyone in this house fears Lord Tsurugi too much.'

It was a hassle to have all the servants be under the former head's control. They would likely change their attitude after Amane takes over the family but they would never truly respect her.

Once an opinion has been formed about something, it was next to impossible to change it. These people had seen 'Yoko' as a meek and submissive lady so they would never see her as the authority.

'Besides, these servants have a fickle loyalty. They will come wagging their tails at anyone who shows them a favor.'

Amane knew people like these. They only obeyed under the pressure of power and authority.

But these people were no one important and letting them go would not harm Amane.

'They are not like Sakura and I don't need to keep such fickle people around me. One Sakura is enough to deal with.'

Having observed Sakura, Amane was convinced that she was someone who would always side with the winning side. And she would also do anything to hop out of a sinking boat.

As such, she would be an amazing asset but not a loyal one. Amane would have to keep an eye and ear out for her moments.

'What a pain. But I guess I can take risks like this once or twice.'

"Oi, what are you going to do with me? If you are going to kill me then do it now."

What a hassle. The assassin was still conscious and spouting nonsense. It seemed like the lack of guards had the assassin gaining some weird ideas in his head.

Amane had knocked the assassin flat on his back but the assassin seemed to have no fear of her.

"Lord Tsurugi is a supreme being. He's the only one who can openly control wild beasts. You are an idiot to go against someone like this. You should have taken the easy way out by being killed by me. Dying at the claws of a wild beast would be a painful death and…wohhhhaaa! What are you doing?"

The assassin was annoying. Had he kept his mouth shut, he would have likely survived.

But his yelping was not only causing Amane's headache to get worse, but it was also causing her temper to rise.

And Amane had no mercy for such stupid men in her life.

'I cannot believe how many mood swings this one day gave me. Being in a teenager body is certainly the worse.'

"Hey, what are you doing? Let me go or you will…"

Amane withheld to call the Griffin. Her core made her whistle sound more prominent so that the Griffin could hear it in the distance.

The winged beast came flying at her request and Amane watched the fear flash in the assassin's eyes instantly.

"H-How did you do that? O-Only Lord Tsurugi can…"

"You are a fool to trust people without evidence but I will let you live this once. The next time I see you, I will drop you from the top of this window without any way of survival. Did you understand?"

Amane shook the body that was hanging out of the window. The Griffin in front of her also squeaked in greeting.

It all seemed to be too much for the assassin and he fainted outright.

"You can play with him for some time but leave him alive by the end. We need to send a message that no one messes with me, alright?"

The Griffin squeaked happily at Amane's words and took the assassin off her hands.

Amane did not care either way if the assassin survived or not. But it would be a solid boost to her reputation if rumors of her power spread far and wide. People would have to think twice about crossing her that way.

"Now then, what do you want? You better make this quick since I am not in a forgiving mood."

Amane turned around to face a startled Sakura. The black-haired, grey-eyed girl gave an expression that border-line looked scared but not quite so.

However, her eyes burned with a determination that seemed familiar to Amane.

"Y-Yoko, have you calmed down now? I saw that your corridor was bare of any guards. Did you send them away?"

Sakura's concern sounded genuine and Amane was sure it was genuine as well.

But not in a way one expected it to be. Sakura was concerned about whether her father's identity as the mastermind had been discovered or not.

'She's not concerned about her father, she's concerned about herself. I see, so she fears my abilities now and has decided to jump ship. Now then, how should I test her resolve out?'

Amane had a few ideas to try out. Sakura was proving to be an amusing individual and her body was not bad looking.

Amane was sure she would be able to use Sakura in the future to make her life easier but Sakura needed to prove her resolve first.

'But first, I should make Sakura more confused. The more she doubts herself, the easier she would be to control.'

"That's right, I send those guards away. I senses the assassin and knew that those guards would only get in my way of disposing of the assassin. I also wanted to stop any potential rumors from speaking when I torture the information out of the assassin. Oh, what is wrong? Why are you sweating?"

Just as Amane had said, Sakura's face was white and covered in sweat. She seemed to have realized that her father's secret was out.

"Y-Yoko, I want to tell you that I am on your side. I know father tried to harm you but I had no part in all this. You believe me, don't you? I will do anything to make you believe me."

'Oh! Isn't this amusing? I wonder how far I should push her for now?'

Amane stood up from her bed. She was not even aware when she had sat down on the bed but it did make for an amusing scene in her head.

Sakura tried to follow as well but Amane stopped her by raising her hand.

"No, you kneel here for now. I will be back in a second."

Amane was filthy and she wanted to wash her sweat off. It would not take long and it would also keep Sakura's mind busy with thoughts of what she did wrong and what she could do.

This kind of mental torture was not fun for the one on the receiving end. But Amane found it quite amusing to see the other side try and please her.

Amane came back quickly, only to find Sakura still in the same position in front of her bed. The younger seemed to not have moved at all.

"Oh, so you can be obedient after all. This is quite a pleasant surprise."

Sakura jumped at Amane's words, her eyes meeting Amane's before dropping onto her chest.

Amane had chosen to wear a loose robe after her bath which showed quite a bit of her cleavage and she could instantly tell where Sakura's gaze had turned toward.

'I see. Now, how should I use this information?'

Amane took her original seat in front of Sakura and sat cross-legged.

"Now, what can you do to please me? Sakura, I will give you a chance to prove your worth."

Amane was curious what Sakura would choose to do. The ball was in her court now and Amane was curious about the results she would achieve.

However, Sakura was surprised even when she took one of Amane's feet in her hand and kissed it. Sakura's grey eyes met Amane's and the younger female submitted to her.